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Audemars Piguet Announces Jarno Trulli Chronographhttp://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2010/10/audemars-piguet-announces-jarno-trulli-chronograph.html
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2010/10/audemars-piguet-announces-jarno-trulli-chronograph.html#respondWed, 20 Oct 2010 21:50:36 +0000http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/?p=37896Audemars Piguet Announces Jarno Trulli ChronographIt’s one thing to sponsor a driver, but it’s only a few who are honored with their very own watch. Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet has chosen to honor Italian F1 driver Jarno Trulli with his very own timepiece. Trulli, a former Formula Three national champion, has been an F1 driver since 1997. Winner of a... more]]>

It’s one thing to sponsor a driver, but it’s only a few who are honored with their very own watch. Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet has chosen to honor Italian F1 driver Jarno Trulli with his very own timepiece.

Trulli, a former Formula Three national champion, has been an F1 driver since 1997. Winner of a Formula One grand prix, he’s taken the pole position four times, the podium 11 times and scored over 246 points in his career so far.

And although this year hasn’t been the best for him (driving for the best of the newcomers at Lotus Racing, he was unable to start one race, unable to finish another six, and of those he has finished, he’s hasn’t been able to score a single championship point), this commemorative special edition watch is sure to pick him up out of the slump.

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Jarno Trulli Chronograph is certainly as impressive as its name. It boasts a forged carbon-fiber case, a ceramic bezel, titanium fixtures, red luminous indices and hands. Making it tick is a 59-jewel automatic movement with 365 parts, a 60-hour power reserve and a 22-carat gold oscillating weight that’s been covered in anthracite – pretty impressive. Only 500 watches will be made, offered initially at the company’s boutique in Tokyo before it goes global.

After an understandably slow start to the season, Lotus Racing appears to be discovering some added pace during testing prior to this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix thanks to the Lotus Cosworth T127’s updated aerodynamics package. Jarno Trulli pumped in 26 practice laps and was 19th fastest during his second session, while Heikki Kovalainen completed 17 laps and ranked 18th during the first practice session.

After testing Trulli stated, “First day back in the car in Europe and I’m really happy with how we have progressed with the car. Obviously it’s still too early to assess it properly, but as soon as I got out on track I could feel that we had taken a major step forward. We have solved a number of the issues we had and we’re definitely in the right direction, so I’m really pleased for everyone in the team as they’ve put in a great effort to get us here. This afternoon we continued with the program and everything went really smoothly, on both the hard and the soft tyres. I must admit that I’ve been really pleased with the speed gain we’ve seen in the car and, again, that’s down to the work the team have put in with the car – all I need now is a little bit of luck, and a trouble free weekend!”

Kovalainen added, “I’ve been really looking forward to being back in Europe and particularly here in Barcelona. It’s been great to see the grandstands already busy, and I’ve seen a load of Finnish flags out there. On track, this morning was a really good session and I’m very encouraged by the updates – they’re immediately working like we’d hoped. The car feels better to drive, the high-speed stability especially is better, and that’s what you get when the aerodynamics of the car improve.”

Chief Technical Officer Mike Gascoyne reported: “Basically it was a good day’s work. The drivers have been very happy with the updates and we’ve been making adjustment to the improvements on the cars throughout the day to help us fine tune the updates. There’s a fair bit more time to come from the new package, and everyone in the team has worked very hard to get us to this point, so it’s great to hear such positive feedback from the drivers. Now we’re looking forward to building on this performance tomorrow and seeing where we are in qualifying.”

Of course practice lap times don’t always reflect the true pace of the car in Formula 1, but it’s encouraging to see Lotus making progress and we look forward to seeing how the aero updates translate during qualifying and the race during this weekend’s Gran Premio de Espana Telefonica 2010. Meanwhile, for you Lotus fans out there, the video after the jump may help to get you pumped up before this weekend’s action.

]]>http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2010/05/f1-news-lotus-racing-looking-stronger-for-spain-gp-video.html/feed0more]]>Lotus Unveils T127 Formula One Race Car for 2010 Season: With Videohttp://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2010/02/lotus-unveils-t127-formula-one-race-car-for-2010-season-with-video.html
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2010/02/lotus-unveils-t127-formula-one-race-car-for-2010-season-with-video.html#respondFri, 12 Feb 2010 22:19:05 +0000http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/?p=13815Lotus Unveils T127 Formula One Race Car for 2010 Season: With VideoLotus has just unveiled its 2010 Formula 1 car as the historic British automaker returns to the top tier of motorsports after a very long absence. Backed by the Malaysian government, the new Lotus team will field two cars, driven by Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen. Earlier in the week, the car made its first... more]]>

Lotus has just unveiled its 2010 Formula 1 car as the historic British automaker returns to the top tier of motorsports after a very long absence. Backed by the Malaysian government, the new Lotus team will field two cars, driven by Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen.

Earlier in the week, the car made its first test laps during a shakedown session at the famous Silverstone track in the U.K., piloted by test driver Fairuz Fauzy.

The 2010 F1 season is shaping up to be an interesting one with three other rookie teams (Campos, Manor and US F1) joining Lotus to make up a 26 car grid. The season starts March 12 in Bahrain.

Find out more at the Lotus Racing fan site here and check out the videos below:

GALLERY: Lotus Cosworth T127

]]>http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2010/02/lotus-unveils-t127-formula-one-race-car-for-2010-season-with-video.html/feed0more]]>Report: Lotus F1 Racing Signs Jarno Trulli, Heikki Kovalainen for 2010 Seasonhttp://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2009/12/report-lotus-f1-racing-signs-jarno-trulli-heikki-kovalainen-for-2010-season.html
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2009/12/report-lotus-f1-racing-signs-jarno-trulli-heikki-kovalainen-for-2010-season.html#respondMon, 14 Dec 2009 16:43:05 +0000http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/?p=10975Report: Lotus F1 Racing Signs Jarno Trulli, Heikki Kovalainen for 2010 SeasonLotus has just confirmed its driver lineup for the 2010 Formula One season with both Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen signed on to pilot the new Lotus cars on the team’s rookie season and the brand’s return to F1. Trulli was long rumored to join the Lotus team as he has a strong relationship with... more]]>

Lotus has just confirmed its driver lineup for the 2010 Formula One season with both Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen signed on to pilot the new Lotus cars on the team’s rookie season and the brand’s return to F1.

Trulli was long rumored to join the Lotus team as he has a strong relationship with the team’s technical director Mike Gascoyne, having worked with him twice already under both Renault and Toyota. Trulli has been looking for a ride since Toyota decided not to race in the 2010 season. His skill has been in doubt, often finishing at the back of the pack in most races – although we may now see if that had more to do with the Toyota team and its cars.

As for Kovalainen, he has been in search of a ride since his contract was not renewed with McLaren, which decided to go with World Champion Jensen Button instead.

The 2010 F1 season is shaping up to be an interesting one with three other rookie teams (Campos, Manor and US F1) joining Lotus to make up a 26 car grid. The season starts March 12 in Bahrain.

]]>http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2009/12/report-lotus-f1-racing-signs-jarno-trulli-heikki-kovalainen-for-2010-season.html/feed0more]]>Report: Lotus Unveils F1 Wind Tunnel Test Car, Announces Plans for 2010 Seasonhttp://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2009/10/report-lotus-unveils-f1-wind-tunnel-test-car-announces-plans-for-2010-season.html
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2009/10/report-lotus-unveils-f1-wind-tunnel-test-car-announces-plans-for-2010-season.html#respondFri, 16 Oct 2009 15:41:05 +0000http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/?p=8436Report: Lotus Unveils F1 Wind Tunnel Test Car, Announces Plans for 2010 SeasonLotus is set to return to Formula 1 next year and with a dedicated group of followers and the media circus that surrounds any British F1 team, the company has released some of its plans and ambitions for the 2010 season, along with the first full-sized wind tunnel model. Lotus F1 Racing Chief Technical Officer... more]]>

Lotus is set to return to Formula 1 next year and with a dedicated group of followers and the media circus that surrounds any British F1 team, the company has released some of its plans and ambitions for the 2010 season, along with the first full-sized wind tunnel model.

Lotus F1 Racing Chief Technical Officer Mike Gascoyne said in an interview-style statement that while the team as huge challenges ahead of it with such a short preparation time, it hopes to have a full vehicle ready for February testing.

As for the car, Gascoyne says the Lotus team is working with Fondtech for the aerodynamics, Xtrac for the gearbox and a deal with Cosworth has been arranged for the engine company to supply engines. Gascoyne also comments that the team is working with technical experts in Malaysia. In fact, the Malaysian connection is a big part of the Lotus team with financing coming from both the country’s private sector as well as through the Malaysian government. In return, Malaysia intends to use the team as a marketing expert to help promote the country on the world stage. In addition, Lotus has a long term plan to set up an engineering center at the country’s Sepang race circuit.

With a long and storied history in motorsports and Formula 1 there are a lot of expectations behind the Lotus team, but Gascoyne says they have to be realistic. “We are a new team and we are starting our development late,” he said, “so it will be an achievement just to get two cars on the Bahrain grid. I hope by the middle of the season we will have established ourselves as the best of the rookie teams and then continue to make forward progress for the rest of the year.”

As for the driver’s Lotus is entertaining several offers and no doubt trying to poach some experts from other teams. One of the leading candidates is rumored to be long-time Toyota driver Jarno Trulli.

Official release after the jump:

PRESS RELEASE:

LOTUS F1 RACING TAKES TO THE WINDTUNNEL

Wednesday 14 October 2009

Just one month after confirmation of its entry into the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, Lotus F1 Racing is already heading into the windtunnel with a scale model of its first Formula 1 car. The as yet undesignated model is the product of the recent collaboration between Lotus F1 Racing Chief Technical Officer Mike Gascoyne and the team’s technical partners, and represents an important step in the team’s preparations for next season.

How important is the completion of Lotus F1 Racing’s first windtunnel model?
“The start of any windtunnel testing is an important step in the development of a new Formula 1 car, but it is particularly exciting for us as we continue preparations for our first season. It has been a very busy time since our entry was confirmed by the FIA. We had been working on the entry for several months so we already had aspects of the team infrastructure in place; the finances, the factory and the top management. Once our entry was confirmed in mid‐September, we were able to accelerate our recruitment and car development process and this is really where we are at now.”

What precisely is the involvement from Malaysia?
“Our entry has only been made possible thanks to financing from the Malaysian private sector, so Lotus F1 Racing will be a Malaysian team through and through. Additionally we have valuable support from the Malaysian government through its 1Malaysia initiative, so we will essentially be flying the Malaysian flag in Formula 1. I am liaising with our Team Principal Tony Fernandes about our plans on a daily basis and am currently spending some time in Malaysia interviewing potential candidates for technical roles. The team is also in the process of recruiting Malaysian employees for other positions, including administration, marketing and PR.”

The team is currently based in the UK, but is there a long‐term plan to move to Malaysia?
“The longer‐term vision is to create a centre of technical excellence at the Sepang circuit which we have already started planning together with Tony Fernandes and his associates. Naturally this takes time, so we have opted initially for a UK base at the RTN facility in Hingham from where we will run the F1 operations while we establish our Malaysian facilities. Ultimately, the team will be headquartered in Malaysia, but we will keep a small UK base which will give us a logistical advantage when we are racing within Europe.”

What technical partnerships do you already have in place?
“We have been working with Fondtech to develop the aerodynamics, as well as with gearbox specialists Xtrac. We have an engine supply deal in place with Cosworth and we also have the support of engineering and composites teams in Malaysia who will play an integral role in developing the car.”

Is there really enough time to get a car and a team up and running before the first race in Bahrain?
“There is no escaping the challenges that we face simply to get the car ready for the first race of next season, but I am confident that we are up to the task in hand. Our target is to get the car ready for a roll out by the middle of February so that we can carry out pre‐season testing in preparation for Bahrain in mid‐March.”

What are your expectations for the first year?
“We need to remain realistic in our aims for the first year. We are a new team and we are starting our development late, so it will be an achievement just to get two cars on the Bahrain grid. I hope by the middle of the season we will have established ourselves as the best of the rookie teams and then continue to make forward progress for the rest of the year.”

How integrated will the F1 team be with other Lotus groups?
“It is a big honour to be associated with such an historic and prestigious Formula 1 brand as Lotus for whom I have a lot of respect. We will have a close relationship with other Lotus groups and we will do all we can to ensure that the Lotus name is treated respectfully with our new team.”

Finally, has there been any decision made on drivers for next year?
“We have been looking closely at the driver market to determine our best options for next year including Malaysian drivers, but no decisions have been made yet. We need versatile drivers. We need reliable and technically‐minded drivers who can help us develop the car during the season, but at the same time we need drivers who are hungry for results and who can extract every little bit of performance from the car at all times.”